As we begin a new year, some people may find themselves suddenly challenged by a new detour—having to navigate a life with low vision. I often find I have to renew my focus at times of great challenge and being legally blind with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), I sometimes think my parents should have given me "Patience" as my middle name because it certainly doesn’t come easily on those days when a situation can throw me off track.
However, I have discovered the inspiring power of words to influence my heart, emotions, and my way of thinking when I take time to clearly reflect on a situation—a solution can often arise from these quiet times of contemplation. Here are 18 sayings to renew your focus anytime you need that little something to help you over a challenge this year.
Stepping Out
18. "The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals." —Melody Beattie
17. "Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently." —Maya Angelou
16. "Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning… anyone can start over and make a new ending." —Chico Xavier
15. "Don’t be afraid of your fears. They’re not there to scare you. They’re there to let you know that something is worth it." —Joy Bell
14. "Progress always involves risks. You can’t take second base AND keep your foot on first." —James Bryan Conant
Inspire Hope
13. "If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes." —Andrew Carnegie
12. "Some succeed because they are destined to but most succeed because they are determined to." —Anonymous
11. "Only in the darkness can you see the stars." —Martin Luther King
10. "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass… it’s about learning to dance in the rain." —Vivian Greene
9. "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." —Mother Teresa
Always Possible
8. "Possibility is a state of being. Be about your life’s big ideas." —Anonymous
7. "Use this day to do something daring, extraordinary and unlike yourself. Take a chance and shape a different pattern in your personal cloud of probability." —Vera Nazarian
6. "Getting it ‘perfect’ is not an act of artisanship because the true artisan remains in a state of perfecting." —Sina Mossayeb
5. "Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see." —Anon
4. "The world is not moved only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker." —Helen Keller
3. "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." —Rumi
2. "When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life." —Eckhart Tolle.
1. "But what if I fail of my purpose here? It is but to keep the nerves at strain, to dry one’s eyes and laugh at a fall, and, baffled, get up and begin again." —Robert Browning
Bonus Quote: "Dare to dream, for dreamers see tomorrow; dare to make a wish, for wishing makes way for hope, and hope is what keeps us all alive. Dare to reach out for the things no one else can see." —Ron Christian
Further Inspiring Readings
Sixteen Quotes to Keep Your Gaze on the Possible
To Love This Life: Quotations by Helen Keller
I’m Thinkin’ About Good Intentions
Do you have a favorite quote or saying that brings you a sense of empowerment when facing a challenging situation? Please let us know and we can add it to our collection.